Silent Steps, Beating Hearts
by blurae
Summary: The last thing Chat Noir remembered before the explosion was pushing Ladybug out of the way. After that, it was dark. Being a hero means risking your own life to save others, or at least to go down trying. But even the best of heroes can't stand being replaced. And when they are, they're out for revenge.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**  
 _Love is a fume made of sighs._  
-William Shakespeare

Every time he looked at her, his heart sprinted away on a marathon. She was perfect in every way imaginable - the way her beautiful raven black hair framed her face, the way her sky blue eyes shone above her rosy cheeks. He could lose himself forever in those orbs, which were endlessly drawing him in, spiraling into pure nothingness -

"Chat. Focus."

Her voice brought him back to Earth. He blinked and instantly forced his mind to cooperate. Now was not the time to fantasize, especially with the opponent they were up against.

A small blue sphere ricochetted towards him, and quickly stepping to his right, Chat avoided it by a whisker-length. It exploded behind him, freezing whatever it had collided with.

Today's villain happened to be Dynamique, a young woman clad in a jet black suit with a few small neon green stripes underneath a similarly colored skirt. She was armed with a purple handbag on which there were several miniscule buttons. When she pressed a certain sequence, a sphere would slide out into her hand, its color varying by what kind of chemistry it wielded.

As to what had caused her transformation, she was a now former teacher's assistant working in a school laboratory. One of the students had pulled a prank by switching the substances' test tubes. When the experiment had gone wrong, the teacher immediately blamed the assistant and fired her on the spot. Angry and humiliated, she had agreed to fulfill Hawk Moth's wishes and at the same time make the ones who had wronged her suffer.

Dynamique was proving to be quite challenging. Her speed and accuracy were quite spot on, both heroes noticed, making it difficult to get near her in order to seize the handbag, which was obviously the object in which the akuma was hiding.

They were on an apartment roof surrounded by a parapet. Ladybug and Chat Noir stood facing their enemy, both eyes narrowed. Behind them, the sun was all but gone, and the moon was already shining out from amidst the awakening stars.

From the corner of her eye, Ladybug saw that once again her partner had derived his attention from their opponent and was looking at her, despite her warning. She heaved a sigh, knowing it wouldn't help if she warned him again.

Instead, she addressed her foe. "Careful, Dynamique. You might want to keep those explosives under control."

Dynamique smirked. "Trust me, I've got _everything_ under control." Without missing a beat, she summoned a green sphere and launched it at her. Ladybug ducked, and the object sailed only a few inches over her head. She cringed slightly from the sound of the explosion from where it had landed down below, and from the screams that followed.

So far, she had been able to conclude that there were three types of chemical spheres Dynamique used. The blue ones contained a substance similar to ice, freezing whatever they touched. The pink ones created a substance that solidified a few seconds after contact - also for trapping. And the green ones...well, they exploded. Sometimes they even left fires, which was why there was the sound of emergency vehicles dashing throughout the city.

While the superheroes' weapons were usually efficient, in this case they weren't too useful in the ways they hoped. If either yo-yo or baton came in contact with one of the spheres, they would be deflected while destroying the chemical object. While this was extremely frustrating, they were glad that the chemicals within the spheres had no effects on their own objects.

"We should try to aim for her feet," Chat suggested. He could come up with good ideas, if he really put his mind to it.

"Good idea. Now if we could do that without being met with another chemical, that would be even better."

At that point, both heroes had to spring away from each other as a sphere was thrown towards the small space between them. Ladybug glared at her enemy through the diminishing light, trying to figure out a way to seize the akuma while managing to keep her transformation going as long as possible. They had been fighting Dynamique for quite a long while, and soon it would wear off.

Thunder rumbled over their heads, reminding Ladybug of yet another misfortune. Sure, the rain would help with containing the fires, but her and Chat didn't do too well in that weather - mostly him, since he was a cat and all. Slippery weapons didn't help either, so she was determined to capture the akuma before the storm broke.

Dynamique flung a multitude of green spheres at them this time, growling in frustration when the heroes once again managed to avoid them. The sound of the chemicals detonating left everyone's ears ringing, except for the villain's herself, who seemed to be used to the whole cacophony.

"Okay, we need to get her off balance," Chat Noir murmured. "I'll throw my baton, and when she blocks it, use your yo-yo at the same time."

"Worth a shot."

Chat whipped out his arm and let his baton fly forward. Dynamique reacted instantly, meeting the object with a pink sphere.

Seeing the breach, Ladybug swung her yo-yo forward, aiming for the ankles. However the villain was clever, and realized their intentions; she quickly pressed a sequence and blocked the incoming weapon with a blue sphere.

"So much for that," Ladybug muttered, resorting to using her yo-yo to return Chat's baton.

There was another rumble, and then Ladybug felt a drop on the bridge of her nose. Another followed, and another - she looked up angrily at the weeping sky.

"Seriously? Now?"

Hawk Moth's trademark butterfly outline appeared in front of Dynamique's face. When it vanished, the girl grinned. "I have business to attend to. Catch you later, losers." She then leaped off the edge of the building and onto the next.

"We've got to go after her. Come on." Ladybug brandished her yo-yo, proceeding to follow her; she paused when she obtained no response. Frowning, she looked over her shoulder. "Chat?"

Her companion hadn't moved; however his shoulders were hunched and his face was hidden to her, the wild black hair now flat from the rain. "I'm okay, just..." His vivid green eyes peered at her through the curtain of dark hair. "Can you give me a sec?"

So the rain was already having its effects. "Okay."

He took a moment to recuperate himself, and when he was ready, took a deep breath. He had told her before that the rain made him feel weak and even nauseous at times, and she felt pity for him as he walked over to stand by her side.

"I hope we can finish this soon. Will you be okay?"

He gave her a small smile. "I'll manage. Let's go."

As they soared through the star-flecked sky, Ladybug could see the destruction Dynamique was leaving behind. Parts of the city were illuminated in vivid orange as the fire department struggled to keep the flames under control. Many buildings were crumbling piece by piece thanks to the explosions the akuma created. The red and blue ambulance lights shone brightly; no deaths, but many people had been injured by falling pieces of debris.

It was as if Dynamique was leaving them a trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow, although Ladybug wished the birds would come and take the crumbs away, so that there would be absolutely no sign of destruction left.

The rain was falling harder now, and she glanced worriedly at her teammate. Although Chat liked to let everyone believe he was fine, she knew that he was not. They had to get this battle over and done with soon.

The sun had diminished on the horizon, the sky now a dark blue. Ladybug couldn't see too well in the dark, but she knew she had two advantages: one, Chat had night vision, and two, Dynamique's skirt had glow in the dark material. Even in the distance they were at, she could clearly see the villain bounding from roof to roof, releasing spheres toward the structures and people.

"Playtime is over, Dynamique!" Ladybug landed on the last building she had seen the akuma standing, and was perplexed when she saw Dynamique had vanished. She looked around, in vain; no sign of her.

"Let's check the next one," Chat suggested, already heading towards the edge.

The heroine nodded and proceeded to follow him when the villain's voice echoed all around her, causing her to freeze in her tracks.

"Everyone has their preferences, Ladybug. If this game is too hard for you, maybe you should quit."

The sound of explosions and falling material filled the air, and Ladybug looked up with widened eyes as the turret, which had been standing in the middle of the building, came crashing down. Suddenly she was off the ground, and she realized she was in Chat's arms as he brought her away in time to the other side of the building. Through the smoke and dust, she could see Dynamique's silhouette as the akumatized citizen slowly walked towards them.

"Thank you, kitty," she murmured as her partner set her down. "I need to do Lucky Charm now, it's our only shot. Get ready."

"Sure thing." He leaped away from her, cringing under the rain, and stood directly in front of the villain. "Hey, beautiful. There's no need to be so rash."

"I'm going to make them pay," she growled.

"How much? A franc or two?"

"Do you think my job is cheap?" Her face red with anger, she reached towards her bag.

"Alright, that's my cue. Cataclysm!" His hand visibly emitting destructive force, Chat Noir sauntered forward, arm reaching for the purple handbag. Scoffing at his recklessness, Dynamique threw down a green sphere, the force of the explosion causing him to fall back. He struck part of the crumbled turret, and he grunted from the impact. As he tried to get up, his Cataclysm hand brushed against a large piece of rubble, which crumbled back down on him.

Knowing she couldn't let any more time pass, Ladybug stood up on one foot, outstretching her hand towards the sky. "Lucky Char -"

"Not so fast, Ladybug."

Dynamique whipped her hand forward, and Ladybug had barely a few seconds to realize what was happening. The same thing that had happened to Chat happened to her, and she felt herself collide with the turret as well. She groaned, knowing new bruises would be adding themselves to those already present. Whatever her Lucky Charm was supposed to be didn't appear since she hadn't finished pronouncing the words, and her yo-yo had been knocked out of her hand.

Well, today definitely wasn't her best.

"What a chemical reaction!" Dynamique exclaimed, a grin on her violet-tinted face as she approached the winded heroine. "Maybe you two are made to follow each other suit. Go ahead...you'll go down that way too."

Dynamique whipped out her hand, and a multitude of green spheres rained down towards Ladybug. Still in shock, the girl could only watch as they grew closer and closer at a devastating rate. Just before they struck, she was roughly pushed aside as Chat Noir's shoulder suddenly collided with her, once again moving her out the way.

For a brief moment in time she was airborne, and then she fell against the hard ground. She jumped up to her feet and winced as the explosion destroyed more of the building, fragments of plaster and other material raining down. A feeling of pain flashed up the right side of her face, having scraped it against the floor when she had landed, but she dismissed it, seeing it was only a minor injury.

More detonations sounded and Ladybug's vision was overrun with smoke and dust. Squinting through the haze, she narrowed her eyes at Dynamique's retreating figure. The akuma's laugh met her ears, mocking and full of glee. Ladybug grit her teeth, seething at the woman's haughtiness, which seemed to pierce her like arrows.

"She's getting away! Let's go, Chat!" She ran over to the side of the building and equipped herself with her yo-yo, jumping up onto the parapet. She drew back her arm in preparation to pursue the akuma, but when she wasn't answered, lowered it to her side.

"Chat?"

No response.

She turned her head slowly and then stepped off the parapet, scanning her surroundings for any sign of her partner. The air being filled with dust and dirt, she covered her mouth with one hand and began to look among the rubble.

She searched for a pair of blazing green eyes or a pair of felt cat ears, but all she was met with was nothing but a dark, gaping hole standing where she had been a few moments ago.

Mouth set in a small frown, she squinted as she tried to look  
into the fissure. Whatever was underneath was obscured to her from the lack of light within.

A wave of uncertainty washed over her, as well as a sense of fear. Surely when Chat had moved her out of the way, he had escaped as well? She could not dare to let her mind fantasize some grim scenarios, and so she quickly chased those thoughts from her head and hastened to leap into the gap.

It was pure darkness, save for the weak light that managed to find its way in through the cracks. The carpeted ground was sprinkled with fragments of glass, and broken furniture lay strewn in every corner. Some of the walls had caved in, and the remaining supports groaned as they struggled to keep their hold.

She was careful of where she stepped, avoiding the worst of the debris and trying to make her way through the decimated room. _Dynamique's explosives had sure done their job,_ Ladybug remarked with a twinge of anxiety. The sounds of sirens, though muffled by the leaning walls, still made their way to her range of hearing, reminding her of the people she still had to protect outside, but she knew with grim resolution that she could not leave until she had found her partner.

She could hear a radio in one of the rooms. Though static shielded some of the words and the volume wasn't quite clear, she could still make out a portion of what the people were saying.

 _"Akumatized...heading towards_ _Le_ _Grand Paris...seven more people injured... no sign of Ladybug or Chat Noir..."_

"Chat?" she called. Her voice echoed ominously around the room, the creaking of the support beams adding to the effect. Her heart quickened, as if running its own race, and her lungs were the opponents it had to outpace.

In the far corner of the room, the wall had all but completely caved in, created a mass of rubble that spilled out in all directions. Averting her gaze to there, Ladybug caught sight of a lime-green gleam. Eyes widened, she hastened her step, climbing over the debris as quickly yet cautiously as she could manage.

The gleam turned out to be the paw print on Chat Noir's silver baton. Reaching out with a trembling hand, she took hold of it and held it against her chest, as if it were a divine object that would pinpoint her missing partner's location.

Which, in fact, it did.

Looking upwards, peering through the weak light, she caught sight of a gloved hand peeking out from under the collapsed wall. Her heart lurched as she took in how limp it was, yet she once again chased the thought she didn't dare think away.

Leaning down, she attempted to lift one of the iron beams pinning him underneath the wall, but not even the boost of strength her suit gave her was enough to sway it. Stepping back, she took her yo-yo from her hip.

"Lucky Charm!"

Pink and red sparkles emitted from the yo-yo, briefly illuminating the room and giving her a more detailed look at the extension of the damage. A winch landed in her open hand, and she instantly identified its purpose.

Ladybug fastened the hook around the beam. Then, returning to the winch, she began to wind up the chain, rotating the handle. Little by little, the object lifted, and soon she was able to push it off.

Doing the same with the other beams, she went down on all fours and proceeded to remove the pieces of debris. The more she did, the more she wished she didn't, since with each fragment, the more faint marks of red she saw. Red she definitely knew wasn't the wall's previous generation of paint.

The dust rising in the air made her cough. She used one hand to cover her mouth again and the other to lift the rubble from Chat's body. Her stomach lurched with each stain she saw, which grew larger and more opaque as she progressed.

Eventually, one of the pieces was too large to lift with one hand, and so she lowered her left hand to aid the right. Grunting from the effort, she managed to roll it away, watching as it tumbled down to the base of the rubble.

Which then revealed his face.

She cursed herself for staring, but she couldn't help it. Even though his jet black hair obscured most of his features, blood still managed to seep through the locks. The red stained his usually pale skin, making a sick feeling grow in her stomach. If this was what his face looked like, she didn't want to see what the rest of the damage was. Yet she had to, if she was to free him.

Her throat closed as she continued to remove the rubble, and soon enough, tears began to sting at her eyes. _You stupid cat,_ she thought angrily, _stupid, stupid, stupid._

Chat was always putting himself in danger for her, the reckless fool. At times it was a virtue, but right now, it was nothing more than a vice.

 _Beep._

Her bluebell eyes travelled to his ring in dismay. She hadn't been fully aware of how much time had passed since he had used Cataclysm. And he wasn't awake in order to leave before his identity was revealed...and she couldn't just _leave_ him there...

"You idiot!" she screamed. The supporting beams groaned.

Ladybug resorted to getting the remaining debris off of him as fast as possible. With each segment of broken wall she moved, the more of his bloodstained suit she saw.

The minutes passed, and when she had removed enough of the rubble to free him, there were two lights remaining on his ring. Blood coated her fingers from holding him in her arms, but she was dimly aware of it next to his appearance.

The blood seemed to primarily come from the gashes on his face, head and side. Where there wasn't any his skin was ghostly pale. When she shook him in a desperate attempt to rouse him, his head lolled back. He looked devastatingly lifeless, and for a minute Ladybug feared the worst, until she saw the faint rise and fall of his chest. She placed her hand over his heart, breathing in sync to each small pulse.

She was afraid he was like a candle, which burned bright at first but gradually melted so much it flickered and flickered until at last going out. She wondered, were all his injuries inflicted by the explosion, the collapsed wall, or simply both? She was more inclined to believe the latter.

Another beep broke the silence. Ladybug felt panic rising in her chest. There was no way to get him help without revealing his identity. And he _needed_ help.

She didn't know what to do. For once in her life, she felt utterly, completely lost.

She didn't know what choice to make, so fate made it for her.

 _Beep beep beep._

A burst of green light filled her vision, and she quickly tore her gaze away from him, squeezing her eyes shut. She kept them closed even when she knew his transformation was long gone. While part of her screamed at her that there was a boy _dying_ in her arms, the other part screamed at her to not reveal their identities.

The turning point was when she felt his heartbeat slow down. She knew that if she didn't get him help _now_ , he wouldn't make it. She wasn't willing to let someone die on her account, even if it meant breaking the rule she had sworn never to break.

Taking in a deep, shuddering breath, Ladybug opened her eyes and looked down at the boy in her arms.


	2. Chapter One - Light

**CHAPTER ONE · LIGHT**  
 _The mind has a thousand eyes,_ _  
_ _And the heart but one;_ _  
_ _Yet the light of a whole life dies,_ _  
_ _When love is done._

\- Francis William Bourdillon

Exhilarated. That was how he felt.

He swung his baton up into the air, bringing it back down to smash it brutally against his opponent's shoulder blades. It had the effect he wanted; the young boy gave a yelp of pain as he crashed down to the ground.

Nature's beauty soon ran up beside him, her blue eyes shining with satisfaction as she tugged a navy blue wristwatch from the akuma's wrist. Smashing it against the ground and crushing it under her foot for good measure, she then prepared her yo-yo as the malefic butterfly emerged from the destroyed object.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma!" White light seemed to emanate from the yo-yo as she swung it forward, capturing the creature from within. Pressing a button that seemed invisible to him, she released the purified moth into the air.

As Ladybug restored all damage caused, Chat Noir knelt down beside the confused boy before them. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good, but what am I doing here?" The boy scratched his head as he looked around himself.

Ladybug joined them to recount the recent events. After learning that he had been pushed to being akumatized when a classmate had made fun of his supposed cheap wristwatch, the superheroes bid adieu and parted so as not to reveal their identities.

Chat Noir made his way towards the Agreste mansion with a feeling of regret; the place was indeed his house, but it was anything but a home.

He landed in his room through the open window, just as his Miraculous ran out. Neon green forks of electricity ran up his body as he flashed back into his civilian self.

"Ugh," Plagg whined, flopping down dramatically on the sofa. "I'm starving!"

Adrien chuckled and opened one of his desk drawers, taking out a wheel of Camembert and tossing it towards the kwami. Plagg unwrapped it with glee and swung it straight into his mouth, chewing loudly.

"Long day today, huh." Adrien sat himself down on his sofa, lifting the silver lid of his lunch tray.

"Yup, and there's still more to go. You have a photo shoot in... fifteen minutes."

"Wow, thanks for reminding me."

"Glad to be of service."

Adrien rolled his eyes.

The day had been as any other, school being dismissed early due to the new akuma. Adrien felt pride wash through him as he recalled the feeling of wind rushing through his hair, the bench crumbling beneath his fingers, his partner's sweet voice...a giddy smile spread across his face.

"Oh no, I know that smile. I'm out of here!" Plagg cried, zipping out of the room.

However, when the time came to leave for the photo shoot, Adrien lured him back with a slice of Camembert. His methods of persuasion never changed with Plagg, and always proved to be efficient.

Meeting Nathalie and the Gorilla at the foot of the stairs, he caught a glimpse of his father leaning out of his room to look at them. Adrien gave a small wave, which Gabriel returned with a nod before yet again disappearing behind the door. A twinge of sadness made its way to the boy's heart; their relationship seemed to be more of a business deal than the strong bond between a father and son. At least he had showed a response this time. That was always a bonus.

As he sat down in the car, his phone vibrated in his pocket. _New text from Alya Césaire_ , the screen read. Curious, he put in his password and went to the new message.

 **Alya:** You there?

 **Adrien:** On my way to photoshoot. What's up?

 **Alya:** Me, Marinette and Nino are meeting up Café beside the school. You up for it?

 **Adrien:** Sure, what time?

 **Alya:** Whenever your shoot ends

 **Adrien:** K, I'll text you when I'm done.

 **Alya:** Ok, see you later

"Adrien?"

"Yes, Nathalie?" he answered, hastily putting his phone back into his pocket.

"I'm sure the photographer would appreciate it if you showed more enthusiasm in your posing today. He mentioned that last time you weren't fitting all the criteria he required. Please make an effort this time, so as not to upset your father."

"Yes, Nathalie." Adrien felt like sinking into his seat. It was true, no one wanted to be on bad terms with Gabriel Agreste. But hours of standing in front of a camera was bound to sap up his enthusiasm eventually; it couldn't exactly be helped, but he would have to find a way to make his enjoyment of modeling look legit.

The car in front of them stopped abruptly, and Adrien jolted forward as the Gorilla slammed on the brakes, punching the horn which acted as a censor to his mind. Plagg, hidden in the boy's jacket pocket, had quite a shock and nearly fell out.

"What's going on?" Adrien asked.

Nathalie leaned over to get a better look of the road. "Some careless teenager crossing the street at the wrong time. Too busy looking at their phone."

Adrien barely suppressed a laugh. He could have sworn that person was Alya; it was all in her character to be obsessed with her phone, especially when it came to the Ladyblog.

Which he was subscribed to and a die-hard fan of the whole thing.

But nobody needed to know that.

When the car pulled up in front of the park, all passengers made their way to the photographer stationed at one of the picnic tables. The man, turning at the sound of Nathalie's call, clapped his hands at the sight of Adrien.

"Starboy, there you are! Let's get started, shall we?"

He explained that for this month, the magazine's theme was autumn leaves, seeing as October had just begun to settle in. For this, warmer colors would be introduced, as well as dusk colors such as gray and brown.

A tent stood to the side, containing the clothes in which Adrien was to change into. For the first ensemble of photos, he put on a dusk gray cashmere sweater along with cream colored pants.

Leading him over to a staged pile of fallen leaves, the photographer instructed Adrien to settle himself into the pile, with some leaves under him and others on top. "I'll sprinkle some over your head and shoulders for a more natural effect," he explained. "Think of your childhood, how you used to play in the leaves."

Adrien winced at that one. What childhood, exactly?

When everything had been set accordingly, the man went back to his camera, moving the tripod closer to the area. "Okay, and...hold!"

Adrien was well used to the camera flash, having been surrounded by them for several years. He held the pose as the photographer took several photos of the same shot, since he would choose among the best later. After that, he went back into the tent, switching his outfit into the dark green hoodie and tan pants.

"Can you prop your head up in your hand?" the photographer asked, once the boy was settled.

He obliged, fighting the urge to yawn; sometimes being a model was more tiring than exhilarating, as everyone thought it to be.

To pass the time, he let himself to drift away as he thought of Ladybug. While he had met many beautiful girls, she was by far the loveliest of them all; not just in looks, but in character as well. He loved the expression she took on as she tried to find a use for the object her Lucky Charm gave her. He found himself smiling again as he reminisced on all the time he had spent protecting Paris by her side.

"There's that smile! Does Starboy have a special Stargirl, hmm?" The photographer grinned as he adjusted his lens. "Stand up now, hands in your pockets."

Adrien rose from the pile of leaves and did as he was instructed, tilting his head in the direction he was facing. He felt Plagg shift in his jacket pocket, concealed under the hoodie, obviously unhappy with his charge's occupation.

"Just a little longer," he reassured him.

"You better reward me for putting up with this," came the snarky reply.

At long last, the photographer folded up his tripod and zipped up his camera case. Released, Adrien hurried back to the car, eager to get his rendezvous.

"Nathalie, is there anything else on my schedule?" he asked, putting on his seatbelt.

The assistant checked her tablet briefly. "No. You're free for the rest of the day."

"Excellent." With his liberty confirmed, Adrien took out his phone to inform Alya.

 **Adrien:** Free for the rest of the day, I'll be over in fifteen.

 **Alya:** Great! We'll meet you there.

The car zipped through the streets, maneuvered by the Gorilla's not exactly graceful driving skills. The bodyguard drove with the affinity a police officer would while in a car chase, except there was no visible opponent. All passengers were well used to the sharp turns and abrupt stops, having experienced them many times over.

Having reached the Agreste mansion, Adrien rushed upstairs to grab a wheel of Camembert for his demanding kwami before making his way to his computer desk. Waking up the device, he went to the Ladyblog webpage to see if anything new had come up during his absence.

A small text post had been uploaded, depicting a few tips for cosplayers, seeing as a special event would be held for Halloween. Adrien chuckled at that, remembering how Alya had shared her idea of going as Lady Wifi. She had defended her choice with the reminder that though she had been seriously evil, she had looked one hundred percent badass in that costume, and that Hawk Moth had to be some seriously talented fashion designer if he managed to come up with such fitting designs.

Glancing up at the clock, he decided it was now time to make his way to his rendezvous before anything came up. He grabbed Plagg by the tail just as he was about to take his last bite of the odorous cheese, moving him to his jacket pocket before going out the door.

"Nathalie?" he called, going down the stairs.

"Yes, Adrien?"

"I'd like to go out, please. My friends are waiting for me at the café beside our school."

The assistant wrinkled her nose. "Café Casse-croûte?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"I suppose it'll be alright, as long as you do not indulge in anything that will interfere with your diet."

"Thank you, Nathalie." With a skip in his step, Adrien went outside, waving at the Gorilla who was leaning against the car. Getting the message, the man opened the door for him and then got in the driver's seat.

Adrien couldn't help but feel a little awkward at being driven everywhere he went, especially in this case, when the café was in such close proximity to his home. Nevertheless, his father's decisions could not be swayed, and so he could do nothing but be grateful he was allowed to go outside at all.

The drive was spent in silence, considering it was just Adrien and his bodyguard. There were only so many people you could have a proper conversation with, anyway, and the Gorilla wasn't one of them.

To pass the short amount of time it took to get from the Agreste mansion to the café, Adrien took out his phone and opened up Geometry Dash. He was on the last level and had almost beaten the game, but there was this one area that he couldn't get past.

It was considered an old game by now, and not that many people played it anymore.

But he enjoyed it anyway.

And secretly, the Gorilla did too, seeing as he found himself moving his head to the music as he drove, although he stopped as soon as he realized it. Honestly, he had beaten the game four times, and he would have given the boy a few tips had not their relationship already been awkward enough.

Adrien put his phone away once they pulled up in front of the café. He was feeling a little irritated, because he had died five times on the same stupid spike. Why did that area have to be antigravitational anyway?

Plagg peeked his head out of the jacket pocket. "I bet four wheels of Camembert that you'll die again on that spot next time."

"Shut up, you sourpuss," Adrien hissed, stepping out of the car.

As he pushed through the doors of the café, he caught sight of his friends sitting at the window in the back. Before he could call to them, Nino turned around and spotted him first.

"Adrien, hey!"

His greeting caught the attention of the rest of the group, who spoke their greetings as well. Nino slapped Adrien on the shoulder — playfully, of course — although he had to do so with extreme caution because of the Gorilla's looming presence.

"How was your photo shoot this time, golden boy?" Alya asked, once he had taken his spot.

"Stuffy," he replied. "I think a leaf went down my shirt."

"Eh, you still look good. Doesn't he, Mari?" Alya added, elbowing her friend in the shoulder.

Marinette's cheeks reddened. "Uh, yeah, of course!"

"So, what did you guys do all afternoon?" Adrien questioned.

"Sleep," Nino replied.

"I was at Mari's. We were discussing fabrics and such for my Lady Wifi costume. Did you know she's making it for me?"

"Wow, really? You sure are talented, Marinette."

She could barely answer him without feeling like foaming at the mouth. "T-Thanks, Adrien, you so are – I mean, so are you!" she managed with a nervous laugh.

"Yo, guys, it's kind of pointless to be in a café if you're not going to eat anything," Nino commented, to which he was met with a glare from Alya.

"We were waiting for Adrien, remember, Greedy Guts?" She sighed, rolling her eyes at his sheepish grin. "But go ahead, you can order for us since you're so enthusiastic about it."

"Fine, fine. What do you guys want?"

"Caramel waffle crunch, hands down." Alya leaned back in her seat. "The polls say it's the number one choice."

"Same, I guess? I trust your judgement."

Everyone looked at Adrien. "Uh, I'll just have coffee. Small cappuccino?"

"Great, then, I'll be right back."

With Nino out of sight, Alya leaned closer to the others. "I'm telling you, he has no life. Eat. Sleep. Repeat."

"You forgot the DJ part," Marinette replied with a smile, "and you aren't too different either, except you Ladyblog all night long."

"Ladybug is life!"

"I'll raise my glass to that one. Who else would keep Paris safe?"

Marinette ducked her head at Adrien's comment, trying to conceal her flaming cheeks. "Chat Noir, obviously."

"Nuh uh. Ladybug is _way_ cooler than Chat."

"She wouldn't be anywhere without Chat Noir. He saved her life, remember?"

"Oh, right."

The table got quite as everyone's minds flashbacked to the day Chat Noir's death was announced. Ironically, it had been especially warm and sunny that day, when all minds agreed it should have been otherwise.

"But the Chat Noir now is just as cool," Marinette said after a while. "He's really awesome."

"Not as awesome as Ladybug!" Alya and Adrien retorted, grinning at one another.

"It's two against one, girl. You'll have to admit it sooner or later."

"No! Nino will back me up."

The boy in question was making his way back to the table, juggling the tray of drinks while trying to balance a monster chocolate chip cookie on top. As he neared the table, he paused at the sight of his friends' fierce expressions.

"Uh...why is everyone looking at me like that?" Nino asked, uncomfortable.

"Nino." Alya stood up, pointing a finger towards her boyfriend's chest. "Who's better: Ladybug or Chat Noir?"

He groaned. "Woman, do not test me with that. They're equally cool."

Sitting down beside her, Nino distributed the drinks, as well as some gluten free treats he had bought with Adrien's strict regime in mind.

Alya eyed the cookie. "You just had to, didn't you?"

Nino looked down at the dessert. "This? Oh yeah, I did. I got it for you."

Alya grinned and landed a sound kiss on his lips. Both Adrien and Marinette looked away, equally embarrassed.

The group then spent their time discussing things learned in class, as well as upcoming events. Plagg managed to sneak away from his charge for a little while, flying across the room as discreetly as possible. The café owner would later find all his cheese filled pastries to be empty, and wonder whether or not he should consider pest control.

Adrien tapped his foot against his seat as he listened to Alya's plans for the Halloween cosplay event. She was hoping Ladybug and Chat Noir would show up for an interview; he made a mental note to remember that.

"Anyways, you guys have to come with me." She eyed them all. "It'd be stupid to go alone."

Nino scratched the back of his head, chuckling. "Guess I'll have to go as the Bubbler, won't I."

Alya's face brightened. "Yeah! We could all go as our akumatized selves, it would be so cool." Then she did a mental check. "Oh, crud. You two haven't been transformed yet. Quick, get angry or something."

Adrien and Marinette widened their eyes simultaneously.

"What?" the girl protested. "And terrorize half of Paris? No way!"

There was a collective laugh throughout the group at Marinette's statement. Instants later, her phone vibrated. Taking it out of her pocket, she glanced at the screen and smacked herself on the forehead.

"Shoot, I forgot! Sorry guys, I have to go. Visiting hours are almost over," she explained, rising from her chair.

"Oh, _right_. I'll come with you." Alya got up as well, looking back at the boys. "Want to join us?"

Nino shrugged. "Cool with me."

"Me too. You can take my car, I think it'll be okay?" Adrien looked back at the Gorilla for clarification. The man gave a curt nod in response.

The friends cleared their table and filed out of the café towards the car. The Gorilla opened the door to the passenger side for Adrien while the others shuffled into the back. The awkwardness was evident; it wasn't every day you got a ride in a model's car, especially when that model was Adrien Agreste.

The Gorilla drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for instructions. Adrien turned towards his friends in the back. " _Hôpital Bonnesanté_ , right?"

Marinette gave a silent nod, and the car took off, leaving the café behind.


End file.
